Attachment for fastening mail-pouches to railway catchers or cranes.



No. 676,693. Patented lune J8, I90I. L. L. HENRY.

ATTACHMENT FOB FASTENING MAIL PDUCHES T0 RAILWAY GATCHEBS 0B CBANES.

(Application filed Jan. 21, 1901.)

(No Model.)

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ATTACHMENT FOR FASTENING MAIL-POUCHES TO RAILWAY CATCHERS OR CRANES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 676,693, dated June 18, 1901.

Application filed January 21, 1901. Serial 1T0. 44,195 (No model.)

To (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, LEO LEROY HENRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowden, in the county of Cedar and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Attachments for Fastening Mail-Pouches to Railway Mail Catchers or Cranes; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertaius to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improved holder designed to be secured at a suitable point upon an ordinary mail-pouch crane or support.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a device which will be capable of ready attachment wherever desired and which While permittingaslight swinging movement of the pouch suspended therefrom will not permit an excessivelateral movement thereof.

The novel details and the arrangement and construction of the severalparts of the device will be apparent from the detailed description hereinafter and the appended claims, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof, wherein an embodiment of the invention is illustrated.

In the drawings like reference characters will refer to corresponding parts in both views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the holder, and Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, A designates a bracket or attaching member, formed of any suitable material, preferably of strap-iron, the same being provided with suitable apertures a, through which bolts or screws may be passed to secure the same to the crane or support. The outer end of the member A is designed to project slightly beyond the support to which it is attached, and passing through a suitable aperture in the center thereof is the pivot-bolt B, provided with an enlarged head 5 and secured in position through the medium of a cotterpin 11', passing through a suitable open ing in the lower end or stem thereof.

Loosely supported by the pivot-bolt is a holding member 0, comprising oppositelydisposed spring-arms c c, united by the loop or bend 0 passing around the pivot-pin, and bent at their extreme ends to approach each other or abut, as at 0 These arms being of a resilient material, they may be readily sprung apart for the insertion of the loop at the end of the mail-pouch and will automaticall y close to prevent the accidental withdrawal of the pouch. The outer ends of the arms are bent upwardly, as at 0 so that there is a constant tendency to retain the bag at approximately the central portion of the arms. It is desirable that the supporting-arms be permitted a slight lateral or swinging movement, and this is accommodated by the same being loosely supported upon the pivot-pin; but to confine the arms in their movement to prevent their swinging out of operative position lugs or stops D are struck up from the sides of the member A into the swinging path of the arms.

I am aware that it is not broadly new to provide construct-ions similar to that herein shown and described with stops for limiting the movement of the holder; but the peculiar construction and arrangement are believed to be novel.

Minor changes may be obviously made without depart-ing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A. holder for mail-bags or the like, comprising an attaching means, a holder comprising oppositely-disposed spring-arms connected by a loop, a pivotbolt passing through said loop and an aperture near the end of the attaching means, means for preventing accimeans for limit-ing the lateral movement of the holder, substantially as described.

2. A holder for mail-bags or the like, com prising a flat attaching member A apertured at one end, a vertically-disposed pivot-bolt passing through the aperture in the attaching member, a holder mounted upon the pivot t dental withdrawal of the pivot-bolt, and

bolt and alined. lugs or projections formed name to this specification in the presence of from struck-out portions of the attaching two subscribing Witnesses. member and extendlng upwardly a sufficlent I LEO LEROY HENRY.

distance in the path of the swinging movement of the holder, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my Witnesses:

HENRY I-I. PETERSEN, MATHIAS SPoo, J r. 

